HITS 10/1: Drake 658k #1, KOL 115k #2

[Fat Ass Kelly Price]

YOUR NEW RELEASES: Drake kicks off Q4 in earnest with what will be the second-biggest debut of the year so far. Although the hip-hop megastar's first-week number will be massive, we're duty-bound to note that Kings of Leon will also make some noise next week, and Cher's new batch of EDM anthems is looking at a strong bow, as is another veteran superstar, Elton John, whose new one is earning some stellar reviews. Here are this week's key new releases:

Drake (YM/CM/Republic) 675-725k
Kings of Leon (RCA) 115-125k
Cher (Warner Bros.) 60-70k
Elton John (Capitol) 40-50k
Dream Theater (Roadrunner) 30-35k
Krewella (Columbia) 20-23k
Sting (Interscope) 19-22k
Metallica (Blackened/Rhino) 19-22k
Alan Jackson (Capitol Nashville) 15-17k
R5 (Hollywood) 15-17k
Gov't Mule (Blue Note) 14-16k
Icona Pop (Atlantic) 13-15k
Chvrches (Glassnote) 13-15k
Sammy Hagar (Frontiers) 13-15k
Glee Cast (Columbia) 12-14k

Speaking of Drake, stand by for news about a cool sports/gaming tie-in. Oh, and the man also graces the cover of the newest issue of our print mag. But we're sure he'll find a way to live that down. (9/25p)

[Wavey✨️]

All hail Queen Aubrey.

[Duca]

Icona Pop. I knew their album would flop but damn.

[HolidayGuy]

Hopefully Cherilyn's album comes closer to 70K. Hard to believe it will be just the fifth top 10 solo album of her career.

[Glove Slap]

About what I expected for Drake (I was actually expecting 650-700k). Cher's number is higher than I assumed.

Lotta veterans there too.

[Deleted]

Wow you know you arrived when you moving units based of previous hits..I don't what to say but good for you?

[Nick]

Glad Queen Cher will outsell Queen Elton. lol

Sales projections had Cher behind Elton and Sting. Ha!

[Push The Button]

Cher's top 10 albums:

Heart of Stone - #10, 1989
Believe - #4, 1999
Living Proof - #9, 2001
The Very Best of Cher - #4, 2003

Closer looks to potentially tie her previous peaks.

Elton, meanwhile, is no stranger to the top 10:

Empty Sky - #6, 1969
Elton John - #4, 1970
Tumbleweed Connection - #5, 1970
Madman Across the Water - #8, 1971
Honky Château - #1, 1972
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player - #1, 1973
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - #1, 1973
Caribou - #1, 1974
Elton John's Greatest Hits - #1, 1974
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - #1, 1975
Rock of the Westies - #1, 1975
Blue Moves - #3, 1976
Here and There - #4, 1976
The One - #8, 1992
The Big Picture - #9, 1997
Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits - #9, 2007
The Union - #3, 2010
+ The Lion King Soundtrack

Both legendary figures in entertainment with very different careers.

[areyoureadytojump]

I was getting nervous about Drake. Billboard/HITS had said nothing about his potential first week sales.

Good for Cher.

Ouch for Icona Pop.

That's the number I thought Sting would have.

[Verisimilitude]

Sept 25, 2013 13:40:49 GMT -5 Duca said:

Icona Pop. I knew their album would flop but damn.

Well, "All Night" hasn't really taken off... I'm surprised Krewella is outselling them but they have a very dedicated EDM fanbase with "Live For The Night" doing modestly well for them.

And the CHVRCHES album is doing well with only blog hype.

[Deleted]

Icona Pop waited too late after "I Love It"'s run. If it was at all possible they should have moved their release date up.

I remember last year Drake came in a bit under the early 700k prediction so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened again. Still, great (and consistent!) numbers for him :)

[bunifah]

I'm happy at CHER's numbers

[#LisaRinna]

Drake is killin the game.

[HolidayGuy]

www.billboard.com/articles/news/5733311/drake-heading-for-675000-plus-no-1-debut-on-billboard-200

Drake Heading for 675,000-Plus No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200
By Keith Caulfield, Los Angeles | September 25, 2013

Drake is set to rock the Billboard 200 chart next week.

The hip-hop star's "Nothing Was the Same" album is on course to earn the second-largest sales week of the year and easily debut at No. 1. Industry sources forecast the effort -- his third full-length release -- to sell over 675,000 copies by the end of the tracking week on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The only larger week registered this year was when Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" debuted at No. 1 with 968,000 sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Nothing Was the Same" will mark Drake's third consecutive No. 1 album. His only release to miss the top slot was his debut EP, "So Far Gone," which was released in 2009 and debuted and peaked at No. 6. He then opened at No. 1 with his first two full-length sets: 2010's "Thank Me Later" and 2011's "Take Care."

"Nothing Was the Same's" projected sales will also give Drake his own personal best sales week. Each of his albums have steadily grown in first-week sales. "So Far Gone" bowed with 73,000; "Thank Me Later" started with 447,000 and "Take Care" launched with 631,000.

Drake's arrival could mark the largest sales week for a hip-hop album since Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" debuted at No. 1 with 964,000 in September of 2011.

While Drake seemingly has the No. 1 slot locked up, there are a number of other new albums set for a high entry on the Billboard 200 next week.

Rock band Kings of Leon should enter at No. 2 with "Mechanical Bull." The group's sixth studio album may sell around 120,000. Their last release, 2010's "Come Around Sundown," earned the quartet its best week ever -- both in terms of chart placing and sales. It debuted and peaked at No. 2 with 184,000.

Drake, 'Nothing Was The Same': Track-By-Track Review

"Believe" it or not, Cher is on course for her highest-charting solo album ever. The diva's new effort, "Closer to the Truth," is aiming for a No. 3 debut with around 65,000. She has never gone higher than No. 4 with her solo albums -- reaching that peak with both "Believe" in 1999 and "The Very Best of Cher" in 2003. (As one half of Sonny & Cher, she only went higher once -- with 1965's No. 2-peaking "Look at Us." It was stuck in the runner-up slot for eight weeks behind the Beatles' "Help!")

Meanwhile, fellow living legend Elton John is set to score his 18th top 10 album as "The Diving Board" could bow at No. 4. It may sell around 45,000.

Other albums set for sizable entries include Dream Theater's new self-titled album, Krewella's "Get Wet," Sting's "The Last Ship" and Metallica's soundtrack to its film "Metallica: Through the Never."

[DJ General]

I was guessing 750k for Drake. Great numbers for him. Even Cher is doing great! KOL solid - fantastic album. Icona Pop - another great album.

[Verisimilitude]

YOUR TOP 15: Drake will unquestionably debut at #1, besting his previous first week of 631k. Here's how the field looks as we ease into the weekend.

*Drake (YM/CM/Republic) 670-695k
*Kings of Leon (RCA) 115-120k
*Cher (Warner Bros.) 65-70k
*Elton John (Capitol) 45-50k
Jack Johnson (Brushfire/Republic) 35-40k
Luke Bryan (Capitol Nashville) 32-37k
*Dream Theater (Roadrunner) 30-35k
Justin Moore (Big Machine) 24-27k
2 Chainz (Def Jam/IDJ) 21-23k
*Krewella (Columbia) 21-23k
The Weeknd (XO/Republic) 18-20k
Avicii (PRMD/Island/IDJ) 18-20k
*Metallica (Blackened/Rhino) 18-20k
Keith Urban (Capitol Nashville) 18-20k
Robin Thicke (Star Trak/Interscope) 17-19k
MMG Presents: Self Made, Vol. 3 (Atlantic) 17-19k
Chris Young (RCA Nashville) 17-19k

*Debuts

In other music news, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani subsidized his entire U.S. press junket by holding a Beats Pill up next to his face while on camera. (9/26p)

[DJ General]

Looks like Drake is dropping off a bit :( but you can't complain about increasing your 1st week sales with each album!

[Old-school 72]

If I had the money I would buy a million copies of Cher and Elton John just to keep trash like Drake from being #1.

[Glove Slap]

Drake's drop off isn't surprising, Take Care looked like it would sell well over 700k in its first projections. That said, it doesn't stop the impressiveness of his sales one bit. He has truly carved a dedicated fanbase for himself.

[hitseeker.]

Krewella! Hope the album debuts in the Top10!

[Wavey✨️]

Thicke still selling well!!

[HolidayGuy]

^Shows how much the market has dwindled when "selling well" for an album out just two months is 17K-19K/week. Especially when the album contains one of the year's biggest hits.

[KeepDeanWeird]

Sept 26, 2013 22:01:56 GMT -5 Old-school 72 said:

If I had the money I would buy a million copies of Cher and Elton John just to keep trash like Drake from being #1.

Some might consider a 67-year old who sold her soul to AutoTune and mindless dance beats, trash. (And I'm a fan of hers.) It's all relative.

[HolidayGuy]

^The album has several non-dance tracks on it, too, so let's not generalize. :)

I agree, though, in that I don't see the point of posting one's personal opinions about an act in relation to chart potential. Keeping "trash like" out of the sentence gets the point across, too.

[areyoureadytojump]

New albums out Tuesday in the weekend circulars:

Target:

Justin Timberlake $9.99 (Vinyl $24.99)

Best Buy:

Justin Timberlake $9.99 (Deluxe Part 1 & 2 $15.99)
Nelly $9.99 (Deluxe $15.99)
Lorde $9.99
K-Ci & JoJo $9.99
Joan Jett $9.99

[Enigma.]

Does that JT deluxe means both vol 1 and vol 2 or a deluxe version of vol 2?

[areyoureadytojump]

^Yes, both cds. Will change it.

[Nick]

These albums are actually released on Monday this week.

[DJ General]

Sept 26, 2013 23:48:49 GMT -5 Glove Slap said:

Drake's drop off isn't surprising, Take Care looked like it would sell well over 700k in its first projections. That said, it doesn't stop the impressiveness of his sales one bit. He has truly carved a dedicated fanbase for himself.

He hasn't dropped at all. Each album sold more 1st week than the last.

[chartfreak]

Sept 28, 2013 10:46:06 GMT -5 areyoureadytojump said:

^Yes, both cds. Will change it.

I'm confused, how are these going to be counted?